Paul H

And with that location, easy to jettison the empties too Will be following this with great interest - will the port side bomb be launched, like the artwork? Thinking of that, have you seen this? The end result is displayed in a great way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy8GaV6u2oI

That looks great! Whilst looking for something else, I found some pics of the interior on the IWM site: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/70000280

Given that the Healey is 1:25, I've often wondered if the 14" wires & tyres from the Aoshima 1:24 MGB would make suitable replacements.

My first car was a Morris 1000 van - in 1997! Slow, poor brakes (best described as bureaucratic, to the point of being Vogon) and minimal grip, but I loved it! Rifle bolt gear change, sharp rack & pinion steering, and very well balanced handling made it a hoot to drive. Replaced in 2002 by a Volvo Amazon, which I still have, but every so often, I have the itch to get another Morris Minor...

Looking good! Can't remember when I last saw one of these being built & the chassis tub looks fantastic! It's also surprisingly accurate for a kit of this age. Where the wings join onto the body centre sections (those panels are referred to as shrouds on the 1;1) on the model are also seams on the real thing, with beading to hide the gap between wings and shrouds. Apologies if you're already aware - I mention it as the completed pic posted earlier has those seams fully filled over, which isn't accurate to the 1:1 car.

Really enjoyed catching up on you progress with this! I'm assuming, based on what I can see in your photos, that the dickey seat is moveable, which is a cool feature for this scale.

Thank you all for the info, very much appreciated! It's her 78 to 79 spec that I'd like to replicate as much as is practical with my limited experience with ship models! I may be confusing that with Ulster - apologies if so! Thank you also for the build links! Not at all!

Have you seen this page? If not, might be of interest! https://www.candoo.com/ulsternorrie/ulster/ulster7a.html#sore backside

In the end, I've started with the Airfix Tiger & Firefly, courtesy of a certain huge online retailer who delivers very quickly - it arrived earlier today, and the hull of the Tiger is already assembled and painted in the main colour, with my involvement being purely supervisory. I've donated a spare set of side cutters to the cause but suspect I will need to get her a bottle of her own Tamiya extra thin cement soon too. She's decided to go for the more complex track options, but there's still the basic ones if that goes wrong. However, all the other suggestions are still very appreciated, and she is very keen to build more models after these two. I'll see what interests her, and do my research carefully. I've been researching this off the back of your recommendation, and I can see what you mean! Definitely one for the future! Only just spotted that the PSC are multiples too. However, her attention span is such that a repeat of the same isn't likely to be of interest. As pure display / wargaming, those would be ideal, however the actual build looks a bit too quick and so wouldn't keep her busy for long enough. It's a fine balance, but model building is also a distraction from TV / screen time. The other isn't interested in armour & still has a few other kits to build first. Thank you again everyone - if either of my girls don't go for any of the Meng toon kits (I haven't shown any to them yet but will soon), I may well give into temptation!

Many thanks for the pic - it's not one I've seen before and the highest resolution one on flickr is extremely helpful! Most that I've found tend to be taken from a much lower angle. As you say, there is something happening on the aft deck, but all the other pics I have find have items there obscuring it. However, searching again just now brought up some more pics that my previous searches hadn't found - this one is especially helpful, and tallies with your description - is it the same pic which you mentioned? https://www.flickr.com/photos/42117802@N06/51591896805/ IIRC, I think she was predominantly a navigation training ship which may explain some of the lack of upgrades compared to her sisters. Agree on the beam issue, but I won't have another one next to it to compare I built a resin 1:43 Alpine Renault A110 about 25 years ago, and have several 1:24 resin cars awaiting build (one part built), but am still very much a novice with resin kits. Whilst I'm quite capable of widening and fairing it with filler (I designed an 84' sailing yacht which I built a display model of at 1:18 scale for my university final year, having moulded the hull in fibreglass), I did the calcs of the beam difference at this scale before buying, and reckon it's really not worth the effort. Also not something that's an obvious issue, compared to other differences. It would be less work to do if built as a waterline model, but I'll probably be building it with the full hull. The underwater section on mine will need some tweaks anyway, as it is slightly warped - I'm still undecided as how best to sort that, but it looks like some careful pie-cutting will get it into shape before a little filler. However I will research and address that when I get around to building it. I certainly wouldn't want to get into messing about with the finely moulded bilge keels though. Good to hear - it is certainly so much more nicely moulded than any of my 1:24 resin car kits, so I think it will jump the queue ahead of them. Do you have a thread for your one? Would be very interesting to see how others tackle this type of kit!

Wasn't familiar with Armourfast - a possibility, however that few parts probably wouldn't keep her busy for long! The Matchbox ones sound interesting - I vaguely recall attempting some of their planes and cars when I was little. Will definitely be doing some more research on their armour, as they are all still easily available. She has managed her first two kits without too much bother, so a decent parts count isn't a problem. Wasn't familiar with PSC either - look good, but quite a bit more than her pocket money will allow at the moment! Good call on the Meng cartoon ones, thank you both as I'd forgotten about them. Hadn't realised quite how detailed they are either! Will show these and see if they appeal. The engineering and level of detail are certainly impressive. Trying to avoid 1:35 for the time being - mainly due to size, as she will be brush painting it. I will aim to teach them spray painting in the summer, and after a few more kits under her belt, one of the older Tamiya 1:35s could be a distinct possibility. However, she does indeed have her eye on my Ardennes King Tiger... It may be that we settle on a smaller scale one in the meantime! Thank you all - a lot of food for thought, which is very appreciated. Is all the Revell 1:76 stuff ex-Matchbox? Also, are any of the Airfix 'Vintage Classics' range of tanks any good, or are they best avoided in this situation? I'm not bothered about the most modern, crisp 100% accurate tooling, just that they look the part, are well engineered and go together easily. She is getting quite good with the side cutters & file, and also thinning paint (Humbrol acrylics, as they are waterbased) to apply several thin coats & has also been using decal solution too. However she isn't ready to be using a craft knife unsupervised, and doesn't yet have the patience for lots of test fitting and tweaking of parts. Now to get the other one as enthusiastic...

One of my 9 year old daughters (I have twins) has just completed an Airfix 1:400 Mary Rose, having previously built an Airfix 1:72 P51 Mustang, both from starter sets. There were predominantly her work, with guidance and assistance where needed from me (mainly for decals, especially on the Mary Rose). Now she wants to build a tank, having seen some of the 1:35 Tamiya ones that I have. She is very keen, but still learning, and I don't want to get her something that will require a lot of rectification from me, e.g. to clean up flash / get parts to fit, as I want her to feel that it is her project, not mine. Those two Airfix kits that she has built already were great, and went together very nicely, so something of a similar ilk would be ideal, and I am keen to encourage this, as it gets her away from the TV and computer screen... I am aware of the new Airfix 1:72 Tiger & Firefly kits which seem to have good reviews (the double kit set is tempting, as then that's one for each daughter), however are there any other 1:72 tanks in similar price range that I should consider, and which would be suitable for a child of her age? Many thanks!

Having built this and a couple of others from the same series, they may not be as detailed as the glue kits, but the engineering is still pretty impressive. They also made excellent slump busters as I found when I was recovering from pneumonia a few years ago, since they could be built with just a couple of modelling tools when sitting on the sofa!

I've finally taken the plunge, and bought my first resin ship kit. I have too many models already in other genres (many of which I am clearing out as this place has widened my horizons beyond just car models) and my marine stash is growing slowly with a 1:144 Das Boot, a pair of 1:50 sailing yachts, two 1:18 sailing dinghies, a 1:72 Sunseeker gin palace, and about six unbuilt 1:700 liners & warships, and two unbuilt 1:350 warships. However, the only ships I have actually completed so far are three of Meng's 1:700 pre-coloured snap fit ones... It will also probably be the last 1:350 ship that I buy due to the cost and display space required, however, HMS Apollo is a ship that I have wanted a model of for a very long time, and so is one that I am going to take my time over not only to build it properly (I am new to using PE & am yet to try rigging anything...) but also as accurately as possible. I did consider converting the ancient Airfix 1:600 Leander, but everything I could find out about that kit just didn't inspire me. And why Apollo? My late grandfather joined the navy aged 13 and retired in around 1984/5. He served on Apollo in the late '70s, and of all the ships that he was on, she was the one that we remember him talking about the most. I can't remember all the other ships, but I know he was in Coastal Forces early on, then later on HMS Ulster (or Ulchin as she was nicknamed by that point, having been cut & shut with HMS Urchin's stern following a prior mishap with a dockyard wall when the bridge telegraph jammed full astern), HMS Ark Royal IV, then HMS Apollo and lastly HMS Diomede. It is essentially being built in memory of him. I am starting with the Atlantic Models 1:350 HMS Cleopatra F28 kit (thank you @bootneck!), which as best I can tell is the nearest start point, as it has the foredeck gun unlike the other two Leander kits from the same source, and also includes the correct witch's hat mast and all the necessary marking decals. However, if anyone can advise on any info which would guide me as to what equipment Apollo should have in her late '70s fit-out, compared to the instructions for Cleopatra that would be amazing! I have quite a few photos that I have found online of Apollo, which show some of the obvious differences, such as no transom cut-out, and of course her mast, but much of the other weaponry and equipment means little to me. One of the main queries that I have not been able to find answers to relates to her aft deck. Was there still the drop down (well deck?) immediately forward of the transom which on Cleopatra (along with the cutaway transom) was for the variable depth sonar, or was it fully flush? Whilst I won't be starting the build for a while (I want to practice on a few expendable plastic kits first!) any tips or tricks for this kit would also be very appreciated! Many thanks!

Assuming you mean 1:35 as Tamiya already have a 1:48 one? However, they did rebox the Tasca / Asuka Firefly a few years back: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-25174-sherman-vc-firefly--308947 but it seems to be difficult to get hold of now.

This youtube channel seems to have a lot of well researched and detailed info which may help you, if you haven't already found the answers. I'd saved it to look at more closely when I get around to building my Olympic, for which I am leaning toward the dazzle camouflage scheme: https://www.youtube.com/c/LinerDesignsIllustration/search?query=olympic

I'm hoping for a regular 240Z derived from their recent 1:24 ZG kit. Even better if it comes with Wolfrace slot mags...

Solidworks is good - I used to use it professionally in my previous career working in a superyacht design consultancy in London, but it's not cheap... I now teach D&T (what used to be called CDT), and we use Autodesk Inventor and Fusion 360 in school as they do free educational licenses. I still prefer Solidworks, but then I was using it for nearly everyday for about six or seven years so know it very well, but the ones I use now seem to work in a pretty similar way and the same principles apply. Features such as the revolve and array tools can be especially useful and timesaving. I haven't had issues with projected geometry that often however I usually allow for it in how I make any links / constrains, but fully and very strongly second your advice about using the origin properly and fully constraining sketches. When teaching CAD to my students, this is one of the things I always try to instill in them early on so that it becomes second nature, for the very same reason that you state!

Très chic! Please tell me that the build thread will appear soon!! Am I right in thinking that this can be built as either the coupe or roadster? 1:32 isn't really my scale for cars (not scale snobbery, just that it won't display well with what I already have) so I've managed to resist getting one so far, but I do want to convert one of my Heller 1:24 Traction Avants to this body style.

That looks very nicely detailed and well thought out. I still haven't built the regular GT conversion yet which I bought about a year ago, but looking forward to the build thread of this one already!

Ah - I was wondering what that engine component was, as I'd noticed that the drive belt wasn't in the Targa kit. That all makes sense now. However, until you mentioned it, I hadn't spotted that the dashboard sprues were different though, and looking more closely, the front seats on that sprue are slightly different to the coupe ones, meaning that there are now three different front seat options across both kits. The US Federal spec bits are presumably for Revell USA's own release - of no interest to me personally, but I think it's a nice feature to have the option. However, I'm now torn as to whether to get this one, the coupe, or wait for the convertible...

If the chassis / floorpan is assembled into the body as per the instructions, that is at the rubber bumper ride height. For the lower chrome bumper ride height, the floorpan can be squeezed into place so that it clips higher up inside the body. It fits so well, that it seems deliberate, but there is no mention in the instructions of the releases that I have.

They aren't all out on the workbench at once - whilst at least six are very nearly finished, probably the same number again are over half way through, but most have been temporarily put to one side or back in their boxes for various reasons. I find that working on more than one at a time means that, for example, if paint or glue is drying on one kit, I can still work on another, but it got a bit out of control! I'm only actively working on three right now, and the list is there to remind me not to start any other kits until I go back and complete (most of...) these ones!

I've found that a sharpie can work really well for doing crisp edges (e.g. for the screenprint on the edge of windscreens etc on models of modern cars), but wonder if that might work here too? The techique I used was to outline with the sharpie, and then infill with paint.

It really does look the part though - with kits like this, I've often thought that just the rolling chassis would be a very interesting display piece. In the meantime I guess I'll just have to settle for my Heller 1:24 6C1750.